


A Second Chance

by orphan_account



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: F/M, Lost Future Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 22:04:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: During the events of Lost Future, Hershel sees a woman who looks very familiar. It turns out that it is who he suspected - his girlfriend from ten years ago. They get a second chance to spend time together and neither of them will take it for granted, not anymore.





	A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> omg it's been forever since i posted on here! it took such a long time to write this. idk why. i think i've just got out of the habit of writing lately. but anyway, i hope you enjoy this! of course i had to write another hershel x claire fanfiction. i just love them too much and CLAIRE DESERVED BETTER

“This all seems so strange. It looks so much like London, but it also doesn’t?” Luke was incredibly confused by the whole idea that they might have actually travelled in time.

“I’m inclined to agree, my boy,” Hershel murmured. He knew he shouldn’t jump to conclusions but the longer they spent in this foreign London, the more that time travel seemed plausible.

Hershel recognised the streets but none of the shops and cafes. There was even a new hotel at the top of Flatstone Street which neither Hershel and Luke had ever heard of before. An old lady told them that it was quite famous so they pretended to follow along with her. They didn’t want to draw suspicion to themselves more than they already seemed to. A young man had already run away from Hershel in fright. He had no idea why.

They bid a good day to the lady and decided to carry up along Flatstone Street and see if they came across anything they recognised.

The two of them had only been walking for a few minutes when Hershel saw something that made him stop in his tracks.

_ No, it couldn’t be! That’s… _

The woman seemed to have noticed Hershel too. There was a glimmer of recognition in her eyes but she didn’t let herself stop walking.  _ Better for him to think I don’t know him,  _ she thought.  _ It will save him the pain of knowing who I am and how I got here. _

Hershel couldn’t move. This couldn’t be real. She couldn’t be alive after so long. For months after her death, Hershel saw her in every woman he passed on the street, once he had found the energy to venture outside. It must just be happening again. She couldn’t really be here.

The woman passed by him as if she didn’t recognise him at all, but she seemed to look tenser than before. Not that Hershel noticed in the slightest. He had no idea how to process all this. It was as if his brain had shut down.

“Professor?” Luke said warily. He had never seen the professor act like this before. It worried him.

It took a couple of seconds for the man to register. He blinked quickly and turned to the source of the noise. He managed a smile toward his friend. “Oh, Luke. I’m alright. That woman just reminded me of someone from my past. That is all.”

“But…” Luke started to speak but thought better of it. He didn’t want to overwhelm the professor any more. The man was a genius but even Luke knew that Hershel had his limits. “Never mind. Let’s just go. Maybe we can find that hotel that lady told us about!”

Luke walked off with a spring in his step. Hershel followed suit but he was walking slower, deep in thought.  _ She looked so much like… Claire. But if it really was her, wouldn’t she had recognised me?  _ Hershel halted in his steps, lines creasing his forehead.  _ How could she even be here? That explosion killed her… and others. Unless… we really were in the future! _

“Luke.”

The boy looked up at him. He had noticed Hershel wasn’t walking and retraced his steps to join him. He was growing increasingly more worried. “Yes?”

“I think we really are in the future.”

Luke almost laughed. How could someone as intelligent as the professor think that? “You really think so?”

“Yes.”

Luke waited but Hershel didn’t speak so he asked the question for him. “Was it about that woman?”

Hershel nodded. “I have a feeling that she is connected to this but it will take some explaining.”

“We have time,” Luke smiled brightly. “Let’s book a room at the hotel and you can tell me all about it. Like we did in Monte d’Or, remember?”

Hershel smiled fondly. Luke didn’t usually take charge like this but he was grateful for it this time. He didn’t think he had the mental capacity as of now to make those kinds of decisions. “That would be wonderful, Luke. You can lead the way.”

Soon enough, as they had predicted, they came across the Hotel Duke. A girl called Becky showed them to their room and left them to it. She could tell that they needed to be left alone. Usually, she would go over the usual speel that Margaret made her say, but she thought it would be best not to today. Becky chuckled to herself as she closed the hotel room door. Margaret was probably asleep, anyway and Becky was a good liar. She would be fine.

Hershel had, of course, asked for some tea to be brought up which Becky did without much hesitation. She could take her time brewing the tea. She always welcomed an extra break.

Once they got settled in and Hershel had sipped his tea to give him some strength, he began to tell Luke all about Claire. When they first met at Gressenheller, how they became friends and then when his feelings for her became something more. There was a fair amount of blushing at that point and the professor decided to skip most of the details to save his dignity. Luke was relieved as well. He was blushing almost as much as the professor. Eventually, he got to the part of Claire’s death. Hershel stalled and hesitated many times but finally, he built up the courage to tell the last part of the story.

“Oh gosh, that’s terrible!” Luke exclaimed. The sudden noise made Hershel’s eyes prickle with tears. He had been on edge the entire story. Luke noticed and quickly apologised. “Sorry, Professor. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” At least he was quieter this time.

Hershel chuckled and dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve. “It’s alright, my boy. I’m just on edge at the moment.”

“Oh, alright. So… uh, do you think Claire might be that woman you saw?”

“Yes but I’m not completely certain. I would have to speak to her.”

Luke frowned. London was a big city and he doubted they would cross paths again. “I don’t know if we’ll see her again, you know.”

Hershel had considered that possibility but he couldn’t give up, not so early on. “Possibly but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep an eye out for her while we explore a little more. Perhaps we will see her on our way to meet your future self.”

Luke suddenly looked terrified and Hershel laughed. 

“Hey,” Luke pouted. “It’s scary, you know, meeting your future self.”

Hershel nodded. “I understand. I apologise for laughing.”

Luke smiled. “It’s fine. I was only joking.”

“Of course. Well, why don’t we go and meet the man in question?”

“Uh, sure.”

Hershel smiled and stood up out of his seat. He offered his hand and Luke took it and let himself be pulled out of his seat. “It will be alright, Luke. If he’s anything like you, I’m sure he’s a true gentleman.”

Hearing that from the man he admired the most, Luke was flustered. He giggled and thanked Hershel with a grin on his face. “Well, I learned from the best.”

Not being the kind to let his true emotions show, Hershel settled with smiling and tipping his hat. “Why, thank you. Now, let’s get going.”

Their meeting with Future Luke quashed any doubts that this wasn’t future London. Hershel was wary of taking Luke into the casino but he knew that they needed to meet with his future self to progress with their investigation. There was a slight bump - let’s say - in their rendezvous but Hershel kept calm and found a way out. Future Luke had helped him along the way. Hershel felt proud that even after all this time, Luke still strived to be a true gentleman and had followed his advice from years ago.

When he told the other Luke this, the boy puffed out his chest and stood with his arms folded. “Professor! Of course, I’m a true gentleman in the future! Why wouldn’t I be?!”

Hershel chuckled. “Now, Luke. I didn’t mean to question your loyalties. I only mentioned this because I thought you would like to hear it.”

Luke slouched again and felt guilty for his outburst. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I did like hearing it. I just misinterpreted the meaning behind it.”

“It’s alright, my boy,” Hershel smiled. “I’m glad I got through to you in the end.”

Future Luke had chuckled at their misunderstanding, not because it reminded him of times in the past but because it was simply amusing to him.

The three of them met up with Shipley who told them about Evil Layton and where he resided. According to him, it was the Towering Pagoda in Chinatown. Hershel was vaguely familiar with it but he assumed it had changed a lot since they had travelled into the future.

“So I think we’re gonna have to split up,” Future Luke said. “It’ll be the only way to increase our chances in finding Layton. Sorry, Professor, I meant Evil Layton,” he added quickly after he saw Hershel raise his eyebrows.

He smirked. “I was only pulling your leg, Luke. But I agree. We should split up. I’ll go with Little Luke.”

Luke sulked and Future Luke laughed.

“You’ll need to grow up a bit before we can call you Big Luke.”

“Hey!”

“Now, now, let’s not bicker.” Hershel found this quite amusing but he also knew that time was of the essence. “We need to be off soon.”

“Of course,” Future Luke nodded. “I’ll see if I can’t find a way into the Towering Pagoda.”

“Alright, but be careful.”

“Always. I’ll see you two later then. Stay safe.”

Hershel could tell he meant it. “You too, Luke.”

“Professor, I’m not going-- Oh, never mind. You meant him.”

Future Luke smirked. “Yes, he meant me. Now, I gotta dash. See you.”

Hershel and Little Luke watched Future Luke leave the restaurant. They both bid Shipley farewell and they left also and made their way to Chinatown. 

Once again, Hershel and Luke were walking down the street when that woman showed up again. Hershel stopped in his tracks, mouth open just slightly.  _ It has to be her,  _ he thought.  _ It can’t be anyone else. _

Evidently, she hadn’t seen him and kept on walking. He couldn’t let her out of his sight so he took to running after her.

She rounded the corner before he could get to her and she seemed to have disappeared from view. A small bump like that never stopped him though. He kept at it, forgetting completely about Luke who was trying to run after him.

“Professor! Where are you going? I can’t keep up!” He panted, a few yards behind the professor. 

In the end, he had to sit down and decided to just wait for him to come back. 

Hershel was also out of breath but it seemed that he was running on adrenaline and the hope that Claire could still be alive. Nothing could stop him.

He had a fair idea of where he was going since this new London was very similar to the old one but he didn’t know where Claire could be. He turned into yet another side street and he was about to give up when he saw her standing, looking into a shop window. From where Hershel was standing, he couldn’t make it out but as he walked tentatively closer to Claire, he saw that it was a jeweller’s.

“Claire…” 

His voice was barely above a whisper but Claire heard anyway. She had been on edge since she heard someone running and had taken to a run herself, scared that it was someone from the Family. She hadn’t been able to run any further than this and was tuned to the smallest of noises. Yet, when she heard a  _ very  _ familiar voice, she felt like she could cry.

Hearing him say her name, she knew she couldn’t hide it any longer. 

“Hershel!”

She ran to him with the little breath she had left and flung her arms around him, sobbing into his jacket. It hadn’t been very long since she had last seen him but having a near-death experience (and what she predicts will most likely be a literal death experience, given what she knows about time travel) really took a toll on her emotions. As would be expected, of course.

He held her in his arms for the first time in ten years. He couldn’t quite believe it was real. He never thought he would get another chance to be with her again. He had to confirm this was real. “Is- is it really you?”

“Of course! I still have that pocket watch you gave me. And I see you’re still wearing your hat.”

Hershel choked up at that. He breathed deeply to calm himself then replied, “Of course I am. It is quite embarrassing to admit but I’m rarely without it.”

Claire giggled and pulled away to take a look at him. “Well, I did tell you to never take it off but I didn’t think you would take that literally.”

Hershel smiled, still not believing that she was really here. “Well, I doubt I would have if… you know.”

Claire nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. “Yes, I understand.” Seeing the elation in his eyes made her feel guilty. This wasn’t going to last forever. “I- I have to tell you something. I think you’ll want to sit down.”

Hershel’s brow furrowed and Claire almost cried at how cute he looked. “Alright. I have to warn you though that I’m not as nimble as I used to be.”

Claire snorted. “I would say me neither but… uh, please just sit and I’ll tell you.”

Hershel was possibly even more confused than a few moments ago but he played along. They both sat outside on the doorstep of the jeweller’s (which was closed so Hershel was pleased to know they wouldn’t get in the way of anyone) and Claire told him what she had been so scared to. She told him that she had really travelled ten years in time but her body was fragile. She wouldn’t last long here, for 24 hours at most, according to Dimitri. She said she had been scared to tell him or even acknowledge his existence for fear of hurting him but it felt so good to get it off of her chest that she felt like she had made the right decision.

Hershel agreed wholeheartedly. His heart possibly would have broken even more if he only found out at the last minute that she really had been Claire this whole time.

“From what I’ve learned, it’s better to tell the truth rather than try to lie in order to save someone’s feelings.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking. I intended to keep this a secret but I couldn’t bear to keep this from you when we could spend time together.”

“Mmm.” Hershel still couldn’t believe all this. It was impossible. He felt a hand on his, and he looked over to Claire. She was smiling, tears welling in her eyes.

“Hershel… I thought I would never see you again.”

She looked so distraught that Hershel almost started crying himself. “I thought the same, my dear. It’s been ten years... I would have never thought we would be together again like this.”

Claire broke eye contact, tears falling into her lap. “I love you, Hershel.”

His words got stuck in his throat. He had been so used to closing himself off to affection that it was almost alien to hear those words being said to him again, after so long. Eventually, he was able to repeat it back to her and her smile was so wide that Hershel couldn’t help but grin back at her.

They shared a kiss and Hershel felt the happiest he had felt in a long time. He knew this wouldn’t last forever but he wished it could and he would make sure to savour every moment with her.

Claire was about to kiss him again when they both heard a shout from a small boy. Hershel felt incredibly guilty. He had forgotten all about Luke.

“Professor! I worried something had happened to you. I-” He stopped in his tracks to look at Claire. “Professor, is this the woman you told me about last night?”

Hershel’s cheeks burned red but he tried to compose himself as he turned to Luke with a smile. “Yes, it is, my boy. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you. I was too… ah, distracted.”

Luke grinned. “It’s okay! I’m just glad you found her.”

Claire was quite taken aback. She didn’t expect a child to come running after Hershel, let alone to be referred to by the man as his ‘boy’. “Hershel,” she started, unsure. “Who’s this?”

He turned back to his girlfriend, still with a smile. “Not to worry, my dear. This is Luke. Do you remember Luke Triton? Clark and Brenda’s son?”

A lightbulb flickered on in Claire’s head. Her eyes lit up. “Oh, of course! He looks so different now! I didn’t recognise him at all.”

Luke moved closer now that the woman seemed to be familiar with him. He hadn’t wanted to intrude but he also needed to sit down. He was still a little out of breath after running the rest of the way to find the professor.

“Luke, Claire used to help me babysit you when your parents were away,” Hershel explained to the confused boy.

Slightly disappointed that he didn’t call Luke his apprentice, he nodded his head sombrely. “I don’t remember but sure. Nice to meet you, Claire.”

Claire smiled at him but she could tell something was up. She sighed and turned to Hershel. “I could give you two some space if you need it.”

“Oh, not at all!” He said a bit too eagerly. “You can join us on our little quest, shall we call it?”

Claire giggled. “I’d be honoured, Hershel.”

So the three of them set off towards Chinatown with Hershel and Claire walking side by side, their arms linked. Luke felt left out behind the two of them but the couple made sure to talk to Luke every now and then and tried to walk slower to accommodate him. Luke noticed they were making the effort and he was grateful for that.

“So what are we here for exactly?” Claire asked as they got closer to their destination.

“We are currently looking for my future self. Apparently I have an evil doppelganger in the future.”

Claire rolled her eyes with a smile. “You? Evil? As if!”

Hershel smiled. “Well, if this future is real, I’ll have to be careful with how I act, won’t I?”

She elbowed him in the ribs, giggling. “Don’t jinx it!”

His ribs didn’t hurt in the slightest but Hershel pouted and held his hand to his side as if it did. Claire profusely apologised until Hershel laughed and told her he was only pulling her leg. They both laughed then shared a kiss.

Luke had tried not to watch this but he was surprised that the professor could act in a joking manner like this. It was like he was a different person. Luke almost felt jealous that he had never seen the professor act like this. Couldn’t he be himself around Luke?

“Luke, quick. Over here.”

Luke wasn’t paying attention to where he was going and he almost walked right in front of two individuals. He looked over to see Hershel and Claire crouching behind some crates.

“Oh, sorry,” Luke whispered. He ducked behind the crates before the men saw him. He took a better look at the duo and frowned. “They don’t look very intimidating.”

Hershel chuckled. “I agree, my boy. But they may be part of the Family.”

“Yes, I think so,” Claire said.

“They kind of look like Chelmey and Barton, don’t they, Professor?”

“Yes, I agree. Actually that reminds me-”

“Of a puzzle, right?” Luke tried his best not to look exasperated. He would not be surprised in the slightest if the man dropped a puzzle his way at this time. He usually liked the puzzles from the professor but this really wasn’t the time for one.

Claire giggled and Hershel blushed. “Not quite,” he said. “It reminded me that I needed to ask Chelmey something.”

“Can we get back to our own time though?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m sure your future self will know something like that.”

“We can.”

Both Hershel and Luke turned to Claire in surprise. “How- how do you know that?” They said almost in chorus.

Claire grinned. “Let’s just say the experience I have in time travel has finally become useful.”

Hershel smiled. “If you say so.”

Luke was surprised that Hershel immediately went along with Claire. Maybe she wasn’t telling the truth, or she was just guessing. But he decided to let it go for now. Besides, Hershel knew Claire better than Luke did.

The lookalike Chelmey and Barton were deep in conversation so they didn’t see the three of them leave but they made their way to the clock shop when they heard Future Luke shouting for them.

“Professor! I thought you were in Chinatown!”

“Hello, Luke. There were two men standing outside the archway. I believe they were part of the Family so we didn’t try to get past them.”

Future Luke nodded. “Wise move. Oh, who’s this?”

“This is Claire. She’s my, ah, girlfriend from a few years back.”

Claire bit back a grin.  _ It’s been a bit more than a few years,  _ she thought. She didn’t want to embarrass Hershel though so she kept quiet.

“Oh, is that so?” He raised an eyebrow towards Claire. “It’s lovely to meet you, Claire.”

They shook hands and Little Luke thought of something.

“Hey. If you’re future me, wouldn’t you have already met Claire before? I met her an hour ago.”

Future Luke seemed flustered but he did a good job at not showing it. “Oh, I suppose that’s correct. However, it has been a long time. Ten years, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah. Guess so,” Luke mumbled, shuffling his feet. He felt quite ashamed of speaking his mind.

Hershel put a hand on Luke’s shoulder. Whether it was for comfort or if it was just a habit, Luke didn’t know but he felt better regardless.

“Shall we get going?” Hershel asked the group. “We were on our way to the clock shop. I wanted to ask Inspector Chelmey something important. I assume we can get back to our own time?”

“Yes. I’m quite impressed you figured that out, Professor,” Future Luke grinned. “Although you are a genius so I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Hershel chuckled. “Thank you, Luke, but it was Claire’s idea, not mine.”

“Really?” Future Luke looked to Claire.

“Yes. I’m quite knowledgable on time travel. I used to work on a time machine, in fact. A long time ago now.”

“Oh, great.” There was a strain in Luke’s voice but none of the three could figure out why. They decided not to press him.

They got to Midland Road with no mishaps, apart from a door that they had to force open, and they easily made it back to their own time. Hershel and both Lukes seemed to have no trouble with the time skip but Claire felt quite nauseous. They had to sit down on the shop floor and wait for Claire’s sickness to go away. Future Luke was getting impatient but Hershel’s glare meant that he didn’t make any comments.

“Are you alright, my dear?” He took Claire’s hand and felt her forehead for a fever.

She took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m fine. I shouldn’t be feeling like this though. I’ve time travelled before, right? But this felt different.”

Future Luke panicked. “Uh, I’m sure it was nothing. But if you’re feeling okay, Claire, let’s go. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

Hershel didn’t stop Claire from getting up and agreeing with Luke that they should go. Thankfully, they all forgot about Claire’s setback from earlier and it wasn’t brought up again.

Claire was quite taken aback by how everything had changed in London since she was last there. It looked different from future London, of course, but  _ this  _ was also future London to her. Despite her knowing a lot about time travel, this was very confusing to her. 

She couldn’t stop looking around and taking everything in while they were walking down the streets. Hershel kept glancing at Claire and smiling whenever she commented on how different all the buildings were. They were halfway to Scotland Yard (they didn’t want to take the bus in case Claire’s nausea flared up again) when Claire stopped in her tracks.

“Hershel.”

He came up next to her and followed her finger. He recognised the restaurant’s name immediately. It was the restaurant he had taken her to where he had planned to propose but, regrettably, chickened out at the last minute.

They turned to each other and smiled. It had a tinge of sadness to it. It was the last time they had gone out for a meal together before Claire died or rather travelled in time. They had both been busy with their respective jobs.

Hershel didn’t know what to say in response but Claire took his hand. She had a wide grin on her face. “Why don’t we go and have dinner there? Just like old times.”

His eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

She nodded eagerly. “Of course! It will be fun, won’t it?”

Both Lukes looked ready to protest. They were on a very important mission, of course. Future Luke opened his mouth but Little Luke stared at him with a ferocity that shut him up. In the little time they had all spent together, Future Luke understood that the other Luke cared for the professor a lot, and the professor clearly cared about this woman too. So maybe he should let this all play out. Nothing bad will happen while they’re at the restaurant. He will make sure of it.

The four of them made sure they talked to the inspector first. Claire said she would wait outside Scotland Yard in case anyone recognised her. The last thing she wanted to do was to give Chelmey a heart attack. 

Once that was all sorted, Future Luke and Little Luke gave Hershel and Claire some space. Little Luke was grumbling a bit as they walked away. He clearly was still a little jealous but Future Luke tried his best to distract him and soon, they were both having just as good a time as Hershel and Claire.

“A table for two, is it, sir?”

“Yes,” Hershel smiled, tipping his hat to the waiter.

“Right this way then.”

They both sat down at a table and ordered drinks. Claire giggled when Hershel asked for tea and then was told there wasn’t any available. The two of them settled with wine and the waiter walked away. Silence descended over the couple and Hershel began to panic. What if this was all for nothing, and they wasted their chance at their last date together?

“Hershel.”

He snapped out of his daze. “I apologise, my dear. I was daydreaming, shall I say.”

“About what?”

His cheeks tinged pink, even though he knew it was nothing embarrassing. “Oh, about today, actually. Er, how long do you… have here?”

Claire looked down at her hands with a frown. Hershel worried he had said something wrong but she replied after a few seconds. “Oh, well, I’m not sure but I hope I get to spend the rest of the day with you like this.”

Hershel chuckled. “I do too. This is bringing up memories, in fact, of when we came here before.”

Claire nodded. “I was hoping it might.”

He cleared his throat, remembering what he wanted to ask Claire the first time. “I- I remember something I had wanted to tell you so long ago. But I…”

“You were nervous? I could tell,” She finished his sentence with a smile. “Do you feel ready to tell me now?”

Hershel pulled at his collar. He wasn’t sure whether it would be appropriate to tell her, especially when neither of them was sure how long Claire would be a part of this world. But he knew she was waiting and most likely wouldn’t give up asking him.

He took a deep breath and said it quickly before he stopped himself. “I was going to ask for your hand in marriage, but I wasn’t sure whether it would be the right time to ask now-” 

Hershel trailed off when he saw Claire’s expression. She looked close to crying but she looked over the moon at the same time.

“Did I say something wrong? I-” 

Yet again, he didn’t finish his sentence as Claire reached across the table and clasped his hands. 

“No, you didn’t. I just wished you said it sooner, then we could’ve gotten married today.”

They both laughed and Claire planted a quick kiss on his cheek, despite the two of them not being fond of showing affection in public.

The waiter raised his eyebrows at the professor as he brought the drinks over and asked if they were ready to order. Neither of them had glanced at the menu but they knew what to order straight away. Both of them had remembered their first outing here together, one for a lot longer than the other.

The rest of the dinner was great. Claire had been worrying about the effects of time travel since she had arrived in this future London but, for the first time that day, she didn’t think about it at all. She was only thinking of Hershel and how amazing it was to see him again. She knew she must go soon but she felt like she was ready. Her last moments will be with Hershel and possibly the two Lukes who were true gentlemen as far as she could tell. They had learned from the best, after all.

So when the couple were standing in the dark alleyway with tears trickling down their cheeks, Claire felt warm when she looked at Hershel and she was thankful of all the time they spent together, and she hoped he felt the same way.


End file.
